May 28, 2012

 

US detects E coli bacteria in Australian beef imports

 

Three shipments of Australian beef in South Carolina have been found by the US authorities, Thursday (May 24), to contain the potentially fatal E coli bacteria.

 

The ABC's Lateline claims to have obtained emails between senior officials in the US Agriculture Department that show, up to 13 separate Australian shipments of meat were rejected over the past year. These included nine loads of mutton contaminated with faeces.

 

Further, according to safety monitors, a new inspection system introduced in Australia, last October, in a move away from government oversight to a more self-regulatory system, had opened the doors to more contaminated meat to be sent overseas.

 

The US, which is Australia's second-largest beef export market and largest lamb export market annually imports US$1 billion worth of the Australian produce.

 

Concerns have been expressed in the US that the Australian meat inspection system was failing to catch the microbiological contaminants in the meat supply of exports to the US. The contaminated meat was detected in South Carolina this week.

 

According to the Federal Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) Greg Read who spoke to Lateline, the three abattoirs involved had been ordered to upgrade their standards of hygiene.

 

Though there had been no reports of food poisoning in South Carolina, the reputation of Australian beef was hurting, with US media pointing to Australia as the source of contamination of a large, blended batch of mince.

 

Another Australian meat shipment was rejected late last year due to veterinary drug residues were found. According to the DAFF it was very concerned about the detections.

 

Meanwhile, according to experts, the type of contamination detailed in the USDA's emails should have been picked up in Australian abattoirs by meat inspectors acting under domestic quarantine regulations. However Australia denies any failure.

 

According to Read the use of non-government employees was strongly controlled through government verification and government oversight on those plants as well as government inspectors in addition standing on the chain, ensured the high ... hygiene requirements were met.

 

He said from the department's perspective, in the international arena of increasing food safety demands, it had a system that would provide it with assurances that Australian product was the best product in the world.

 

"Discussions are ongoing with all parties concerned while confirmation of the source of the contamination is being progressed," the DAFF said.

 

It was not clear as to how the meat became contaminated because it was subject to a US testing programme before export. The consignment also met US import requirements and was cleared by US border authorities, DAFF said. It noted that contamination could occur at any point in the supply chain.

 

"All meat produced in Australia for export and domestic consumption remains safe," it added.